online gaming

Zynga looks to foray into online gambling in Nevada

We've heard of betting with virtual currency in Zynga Poker, but how about playing with some bona fide dollar bills?

Zynga made its first move to create real-money gambling games in the U.S. by filing its initial application with the Nevada Gaming Control Board yesterday, according to the Wall Street Journal. Now, the board has to decide whether Zynga will be allowed to hold a gaming license in the state.

The social-gaming giant has made no secret that it'd like to get into the world of real-money gambling. In fact, in October it announced a deal with … Read more

Sony nixes idea of online-only console, WSJ says

Gamers would have experienced an online-only PlayStation console from Sony if the company hadn't pulled the plug on the development, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Sony decided against a download-only plan for its next gaming console and opted to include the traditional optical disk drive, according to the WSJ, which cited unnamed sources.

Online services that allow console users to download games, television shows and music without the need for disks or cartridges are gaining popularity with consumers. The Xbox 360 has evolved beyond a gaming machine and into a media hub.

But the console industry is slow to … Read more

EA stirs controversy by adding gay characters to Star Wars game

Game maker Electronic Arts is adding more diversity to its new multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic -- characters in same-sex relationships and plot lines.

Because of this, the company is coming under fire from some unlikely contingents for the gaming world -- anti-gay conservative groups such as the Florida Family Association and the Family Research Council.

"There were no LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] characters in any of the Star Wars movies," the Florida Family Association declared on its Web site. "So if BioWare, the maker of Star Wars video games, adds LGBT … Read more

New York AG seeks to keep sex offenders from online gaming

New York sex offenders hoping to hide behind an online video game avatar are now out of luck. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced today that New York has partnered with several tech companies to purge thousands of registered sex offenders from online gaming networks in what he dubbed "Operation: Game Over."

"We must ensure online video game systems do not become a digital playground for dangerous predators," Schneiderman said in a statement today. "That means doing everything possible to block sex offenders from using gaming networks as a vehicle to prey on underage victims.&… Read more

Draw Something goes viral with 50 million downloads

Zynga must be glad it dropped that $180 million on OMGPOP last month. Besides acquiring Checkers, Pool, and other online games, Zynga also got its hands on Draw Something--which topped charts today as the fastest-growing original mobile game ever, according to VentureBeat.

The wildly popular game, which most resembles the board game Pictionary, was released less than two months ago and within the first two weeks it skyrocketed with 10 million downloads. Quickly, both the free and paid versions were No. 1 on iTunes' download charts.

As of today, the game has exceeded 50 million downloads, according to VentureBeat. … Read more

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets massive in April

Everything will change immensely for players of Star Wars: The Old Republic in early April.

Last week, a video emerged from BioWare describing a massive 1.2 update for the popular multiplayer online role-playing game. The content patch--named Legacy--offers several major benefits and a plethora of little changes that could make things much more enjoyable for those invested in the game.

The big-ticket items include a new warzone (Novare Coast) and operation (Explosive Conflict) located on the planet Denova. We also spotted a new flash point named The Lost Island, which you can further see in the trailer below. … Read more

Online role-playing can zap marital happiness, survey finds

Online role-playing games, typically of the massively multiplayer variety, have a reputation for wreaking havoc on real-world relationships.

Now, researchers can back up that notion with survey results and can pinpoint the problems that result from such gaming. The survey, from researchers at Brigham Young University, is set to appear tomorrow in the Journal of Leisure Research.

The findings confirm what many gamers know all too intimately--perhaps having heard the message delivered loudly in words with four letters. Three-quarters of spouses of online gamers wish their partners would put more time and effort into their marriages than they put into … Read more

Women gamers have more sex, study finds

I am about to stun you. I hope you are prepared. For this will be like being tased, bro'.

Gamers, apparently, are no longer teenage boys with growing pains.

No, according to a study performed by Harris Interactive at the behest of Gamehouse--which seems to be a site where you can, well, game--more than half of online gamers are actually female.

Should you still be breathing, might I turn your attention to some further results of this analysis of more than 2,000 adults.

Women gamers have more sex than women non-gamers. Yes, by the vast margin of 5 … Read more

Play DC Universe Online for free

Need something fun to do this weekend? Want to step into the shoes of a superhero and duke it out against evil supervillains (or vice-versa)? Don't want to spend any money for the privilege?

DC Universe Online is a massively multiplayer online game (or, as the kids like to say, MMOG) built around comic-book characters. Until a couple days ago, access would cost you $14.99 per month, but now you can play DC Universe Online absolutely free.

I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the MMOs, having never dipped my toe into World of Warcraft … Read more